Tag Archives: Fashion

With a career spanning more than 40 years, it is perhaps not surprising that the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria took my friend & I more than 2.5 hours to make our way through.

Gaultier is well known for the cone bra popularised by Madonna. The exhibition shows the evolution of this iconic garment, from the newspaper prototype sported by Gaultier’s teddy bear to the real deal straight from Madonna’s closet. His corseting skills made for a beautiful display.

One of the things I loved about this exhibition was seeing dresses that I recognised from various publications over the years. The below dress was instantly recognisable from this recent Australian Vogue cover promoting the exhibition.

Another dress that I was excited to see was this glorious frock, worn down the catwalk by model Crystal Renn in 2006. While her size has varied over the years, Renn wore this as a curvier-than-your-average model & I remember being blown away seeing a woman on the catwalk who, while absolutely stunning, was quite obviously not from the same mould as the norm.

The craftsmanship and detail of the more than 140 outfits on display was easy to see – every stunning detail was out in the open for all to admire. There’s no glass cases here and many of the more intricate designs are accompanied by the hours they took to create.

The exhibit itself is split out into separate rooms, each reflecting a different stage in Gaultier’s career. A curated mix of clothing, photography, film and other media, it’s an engaging display that gives great insight into Gaultier’s professional life. He has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest names and counts Aussies Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett among his favourites.

It’s only a couple of years until I hit 30 and while the number certainly doesn’t bother me, there are one or two things I’d like to have ticked off before I blow out those candles.

After reading 11 things to buy before you turn 30 though, Harpers Bazaar would have you believe I need a longer list if I wish to ring in my 30s as a ‘fashionable woman’. Not wanting to relinquish my fashionability, here’s my scorecard on where I stand.

1. Classic shoe
It took until I was about 25 but I can now confidently say that cheap pleather treads have no power over me, whatever the disposable trend I could achieve by handing over a $20. I flash my Wittner card with pride and revel in my classic leather insoles.

4. A beautiful timepiece
I have quite a nice watch. It’s a chocolate brown Kenneth Cole with rose gold flashes & a partially transparent face. While I regularly get compliments about it, I certainly wouldn’t call it a ‘beautiful timepiece’. It’s a nice watch.

Score: 7/10 (Hey, it may not be a Hermes but at least it’s got a leather band)

6. A personal scent
So I think I’ve got this one down: while I certainly dabble, my one true scent has been the original DKNY. I chose it based solely on the pretty bottle at age 14.

Score: 10/10 (C’mon, I gotta get a 10 for something!)

7. Jewellery you never take off
The example in the Bazaar list comes in just short of $17000. While I can’t compete on dollars, my grandma’s hand-me-down sapphire & diamond ring is a regular on my right-hand.

Score: 7/10 (Room for advancement but I’m ticking the box!)

8. Original art you love
We’ve got this IKEA print of some fish on a plate. It’s in the kitchen.

Score: 2/10 (Shut it, I know)

9. A forever bag
Santa left me a beautifully soft black Mimco bag this Christmas. It’ll be as ‘forever’ as I can get it to be.

Score: 9/10 (Just in case I ever score some wild designer IT bag)

10. A killer winter coat
I bought a black leather bomber in 2007 and it’s still going strong. I’d love an amazing coat but as a coastal-dwelling Aussie kid, there’s really not much calling for swathes of wool, even in the depths of winter.

Score: 6/10 (& unless I move to New York, that one ain’t improving)

11. The perfect little black dress
A sculpted black dress with cream peplum detail was an investment early last year. I wouldn’t say it’s the ‘perfect’ LBD but it certainly saw me stylishly through a bunch of functions.

Score: 8/10 (Points off for the peplum)

So what’ve we learnt from this exercise?
There are people who have a signature flower! If your name isn’t Poppy, Daisy or Rose and you aren’t a botanist, why?? How have you given flowers this much thought?

Who What Wear is not updated regularly enough for my liking but they quite clearly focus on quality over quantity. It’s a great source for why-didn’t-I-think-of-that style ideas & an ideal spot to figure out the next big thing you need to keep an eye out for at your local knock-off chain-store retailer.

www.whowhatwear.com/

While I think Tip #4 would make me look like an American footballer, and my torso is too long for jumpsuits, (read: they cause me killer wedgies!) I’m totally digging the idea of #6 – the shape of the dress is a bit ho-hum but the mix of colour, leopard & jazzy neckpieces have now been noted in the fashion department of my memory bank.

Worst Best thing is, I’d probably wear this hat/scarf/bird combo without a worry:

www.sartorialist.blogspot.com

Yes, I’d wear an outfit involving an oversized knitted bird that I found on a website called The Man Repeller yet, for some reason, I still wonder why I’m single… Hmm. I also have floral print harem pants as part of my winter layby at Sportsgirl. I’m a textbook case!

Future lovers, be alert but not alarmed – I’m not really trying for repulsion but I don’t need your lame ass if you ain’t down with my happy pants, scarf obsession, oversized jewellery and beloved bomber jacket.

Even though the weather this afternoon was well above 30 degrees Celsius, I decided to start doing some scouting for winter fashion. I’m really loving the way military stimulus are meshing with bright colours & wild prints for the upcoming cooler season.

After putting a layby on at Sportsgirl (I have no need for battle-ready knits & jackets just yet!) I had my heart stolen by these $80 wonders…

How busy have I been? So busy that my March 2011 Vogue is still in the plastic it was posted in! It looks so tasty too! Lord knows I love me a colour fiesta! And I die for that Prada skirt (and everything else that went down the runway with it!)

Normal programming will resume soon – moving house has gotta be a good enough excuse?! Ah well, looking forward to getting back on the wagon soon.

“outfitting oneself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include but are not limited to harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.”

Sums up my fashion philosophy right there really: Dress for yourself, not for anyone else (except maybe your grandma on her 87th birthday)

About this Chanel number, The Man Repeller says “I call this one straitjacket chic. Girlfriend is going to one fancy mental asylum in that sequin adored number.” Love it.